The last of ‘The Big Three’ to show this year, Nintendo will be the only one to bring new hardware to E3. Will Wii U live up to the Wii’s success?

While we know a new Super Mario Bros. is on the horizon, there is not a huge amount known regarding Nintendo’s first-party line-up. Battlefield 3 and Darksiders 2 were among those shown last year in association with the Wii U, but what third-parties will appear this year?

Same as before, the article will be updated throughout the event, so remember to hit F5 or the Refresh button on your browser to see the latest information!

Check below for all the big news to come out of the Nintendo conference!

And the conference kicks off with a charming little live action Pikmin trailer, as Miyamoto prepares for the conference. He makes his way to the stage followed by the colourful little critters to a round of applause.

Bill Trinen joins Miyamoto on stage to help with translating – leaping to action after the legendary developer toots on a whistle.

They discuss the significance of having a dedicated gaming screen in the livingroom – your play is no longer limited by anything, be it others in the room wanting to watch television, or even those first few moments as your TV turns on.

Pikmin 3 is the first game to be shown today. With Wii U, the HD graphics allow you to see the fluid movement of each individual Pikmin, as well as allow for far more detailed environments for you to explore with them.

Miyamoto is explaining how the Wii U GamePad allows for far more efficient control of the individual Pikmin.

Nintendo hopes that Pikmin 3 will provide a deep, immersive experience at a time when gamers seem to be heading towards lighter, simpler experience.

Miyamoto pulls a small Pikmin plushie from his top breast pocket, and the audience bursts into applause.

Reggie Fils-Aime takes to the stage promising 23 Wii U titles will be shown today.

Wii U does 3 different things – changes your gaming, changes how you interact with your gaming friends, and it changes the way you interact with your TV.

Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Video and Youtube are all a given. But gaming and new ways to connect with friends are what will be the focus of today’s event.

Wii U will work with two separate Wii U GamePad – this week will focus on experiences which only utilise it for solo experiences, but there will also be games to come in the future which utilise two GamePads.

Nintendo are showcasing all the functions available on the new GamePad – anyone who has seen a photograph though will already have worked it all out…

Reggie is discussing the Miiverse - check out our Pre-E3 Nintendo conference coverage for the whole low-down on Nintendo’s new social online community.

Reggie is discussing the integration of the Miiverse within New Super Mario Bros. U - a social window through which you can see how your friends are coping with that one difficult level, or their latest speed run!

The game can be transferred from the big screen to the GamePad for solo play, or four players can play at the same time with a fifth on the GamePad adding tiles and collectables to help create a perfect speed run!

Next big announcement: Batman – Arkham City Armored Edition.

Gameplay adjustments which utilise the touch screen are expected, and addition inclusions are special armoured suits for both Catwoman and Batman. But what else is in this new version?

Batman’s new suit can build up energy and activate a special BAT mode to allow the Caped Crusader to take down enemies more efficiently. Use the tilt functionality of the GamePad to direct the Remote-Controlled Bat-arrang with all new precision. Other new functionality also includes placing the explosive gel.

Scribblenauts Unlimited is up next, which Fifth Cell promises will be the definitive game in the franchise, now in HD, now with multiplayer. Imagine anything, explore everything.

Gameplay montage time: Darksiders 2, Mass Effect 3, Tanks! Tanks! Tanks!, Trine 2 Directors Cut, Ninja Gaiden 3 Razors Edge, and Alien Colonial Marines. Distressingly Mass Effect 3 was the most shocking addition to that list – a game which has been out for several months already by this point.

43 Million copies of Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus have been sold.  Wii Fit U will add something new to the mix – although from the demonstration on-screen, it appears to be the addition of the GamePad. Bouncing on a trampoline – place the GamePad on the floor to give you view of jumping.

Sing ( a working title from FreeSytleGames ) appears behind Reggie – a karaoke title which allows you to display the lyrics on the GamePad. The TV can be used to display addition graphics to make the experience more exciting for everyone else in the room.

Some love for 3DS though. First up, New Super Mario Bros. 2 - completely different to the Wii U title shown earlier, this new title is focused on gold. Gold power-ups, huge numbers of coins, and some curious link with the Olympics (going for gold!). 19th of April it will hit store shelves.

Second 3DS title to be shown - Paper Mario Sticker Star coming both physically and digitially this holiday season. The game allows you to pull stickers off the environment to use as your attacks – a shoe sticker will become a stomp attack, and so on.

Third 3Ds to be shown today is Luigi’s Mansion. We have already heard a fair amount of this game, but Nintendo promises new ghosts, multiple mansions, different strategies and more scares!

Coming from the third-party - Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Mirror of Fate, Epic Mickey, Scribblenauts Unlimited and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

Lego City is next up on stage, showing the usual type of Lego game humour – even featuring a slight nod to the Matrix of all things. The final scene shows the Lego character put together a Mario warp pipe, and disappears into it. Everyone laughs.

 

Lego City: Undercover will be coming to 3DS, too!

Ubisoft are up on stage reiterating their commitment to the Wii U, with titles such as ZombiU and Rayman Legends. Check our coverage of the Ubisoft conference for the full run-down off Wii U titles coming from the massive publisher.

It looks like Ubisoft brought yesterday’s dancers back with them for Just Dance 4 - one player can take on the role of puppet-master and direct everyone else as they compete in the dancing title.

But Ubisoft didn’t spoil all their Wii U announcements at their own conference - ZombiU is back on stage. A first person shooter set in London, use the GamePad for a variety of functions. Activate it to scan the environment, or look down the scope of the sniper rifle. Use the touch screen to micro-manage your inventory on the go.

Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2013, Rayman Legends, Assassin’s Creed 3, Rabbids Land and Avengers: Battle for Earth round off the Ubisoft showing for today’s Nintendo event.

 

Nintendo Land appears up on the big screen behind Reggie – the President of Nintendo America promises that this will be for the Wii U what Wii Sports was for the Wii.

Nintendo Land will combine many familiar gameplay experiences from Nintendo properties into one cohesive game which will show off all the functionality of the new console, and the new Miiverse social functions.

Luigi’s Ghost Mansion is one such aspect of Nintendo Land – four players play with a top-down view on a mansion, walking around with their flashlights in search of the one, invisible ghost. The Wii U GamePad player can see all players on his screen, and can hunt them down – just don’t get caught in their flashlights!

Nintendo Land will launch with the Wii U hardware.

We are coming up to the end of the show…what final surprises might Nintendo have in store for us…?!

None…Oh. Well, with a whimper rather than a bang then!

So that wraps up all the conferences for this year’s E3 Conference. I hope you have enjoyed our live coverage - make sure you stay with us for more E3 announcements and all the latest gaming news!

 

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